Is waist circumference associated with fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults? A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION:Fear of falling (FOF) is a prevalent condition among older adults and several variables have been pointed out as risk factors. OBJECTIVES:To identify the cut-off point on waist circumference (WC), capable of discriminating between older adults with and without FOF, and to test the association between WC and FOF. METHODS:A cross-sectional observational study was carried out with older adults of both sexes from Balneário Arroio do Silva, Brazil. We used Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to determine the cut-off point on WC and logistic regression adjusted for potential confounding variables to test the association. RESULTS:Older women with WC >93.5 cm [area under the curve: 0.61 (95%CI 0.53; 0.68)] had 3.30 (95%CI 1.53; 7.14) greater chances of having FOF compared with older women with WC ≤93.5 cm. WC was not able to discriminate FOF in older men. CONCLUSION:WC values >93.5 cm are associated with higher chances of FOF in older women.